Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Thoughts of an L&F Intern

By: Holly Melander, L&F Intern, Leonard & Finco Public Relations, Inc.

As my final day as an intern at Leonard & Finco approaches, I’ve been reflecting on all that I’ve accomplished and learned throughout the past 9 months and also my path into the public relations field.

In the Fall of 2006 I started my college career at UW-Green Bay knowing exactly what I wanted to study and be involved in. From day one I knew that the communications field was going to the best fit for what I loved to do: tell stories and work with people. Everybody has a story to tell in some form or another, and what I have developed a passion for is not only hearing people’s stories but also helping them tell it. During my internship at L&F, I’ve discovered that helping people & businesses tell their stories is only the tip of the iceberg and a lot more goes into being successful in this field.

This wasn’t my first experience as an intern. I held two previous internships in college prior to working here. Each experience has been valuable in its own way, but it wasn’t until my time at L&F that I truly learned and valued the importance of teamwork and being well organized. With clients in a wide variety of areas I had to learn to always be on my toes and ready for the next project or be able to handle multiple client projects at one time. Excellent time management and organization quickly became a key to survival in this office. However, the biggest difference I can see between this internship and others boils down to one word: teamwork.

At L&F, I wasn’t treated like “just an intern” or “temporary employee.” I was treated like a member of the L&F team and office family which allowed me to be more creatively involved with client brainstorm sessions, weekly staff meetings, social media and Web development, news release development, create columns for clients and so much more! This internship has taught me to value those that are around me and the importance of building a good network of people you can count on and trust. I know that everything I learned at L&F will serve me well in the future.

Thanks to everyone inside and outside L&F that made this experience what it was and for being strong mentors to me. It has truly been one of the most valuable experiences in my college and post-college career and couldn’t be more thankful for it!

So, do you have an internship experience that really sticks out in your mind? Was it a good experience or was it something that could have been improved?

4 comments:

Beth said...

I had three internships while I was in college and some were good...some where not so good. I agree with you-the good ones were the businesses that treated me just like any other team member!

We were so very lucky to have you apart of our team here at L&F!! :)

KR said...

I had an amazing internship with Time Warner Cable when I was in college. I was the public affairs intern and got the chance to work on a variety of PR related projects and initiatives. Like Holly, I was also treated like a full-time regular employee and cherished the experiences and responsibilities that came with it.

That was the internship that made me realize I wanted to go into PR. Before that experience I had never even written a news release! Now I work for L&F and love what I do!

Holly - we'll miss you!

Unknown said...

My most memorable internship while in college was interning for a local radio station. I was exposed to experiences that provided me the opportunity to apply what I learned in the classroom to real life, which I believe is one of the best ways to learn. Plus it’s nice that I still get to collaborate with the radio guys on client projects.

Holly, I am so happy that you had the opportunity to intern at L&F. Your personality and smile will be missed.

Kristen P said...

I had an internship at the library in my hometown for a summer and it was great. I worked in each department for a few weeks, learning all about every part of the library. I actually ended up working there after college for about a year. It was a great job and I made some wonderful friends I still keep in touch with today.